Irene Hwang, 16, studies piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College with Sandra Wright Shen. Her previous teachers include John McCarthy and Erna Gulabyan.
Irene has won first prize in the Bellagrande International Piano Competition, USOMC, USIMC, KAMSA, NAVIMC and Quebec Music Competition. Irene has also won prizes at the Burlingame Music Competition, Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, CAPMT solo and concerto competition, US New Star Piano Competition and ENKOR Music Competition.
Irene has received master classes from Jon Nakamatsu, Gila Goldstein, Joseph Rackers, Dmitry Rachmanov, James Giles, Dmitri Vorobiev, Alexander Braginsky, Gregg Pauley, Melinda Lee Masur, and Victor Cayres.
Irene has participated in the Vivace Music Foundation in 2021, Young Artists Piano Program at Boston University Tanglewood Institute and Masterworks Music Festival in the summer of 2022, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival in the summer of 2023 as a summer student of Jon Nakamatsu. She will be attending the Southeastern Piano Festival with a scholarship in the summer of 2024.
Irene also enjoys playing chamber music. Her piano trio at SFCM has performed in the 2021 and 2022 Holiday Showcase Concerts.
Irene aspires to foster connections with diverse communities through music. Currently, she holds the position of San Jose's regional director for the Back to BACH Project, where she actively works with her team towards bridging communities through musical initiatives.
Beyond her musical pursuits, Irene is also an avid writer and has been recognized on a national level by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Variations sérieuses, Op.54, Felix Mendelssohn, 11m26s, https://youtu.be/CnjaPzEE6Ag
Piano Sonata No 2 in A major, Op 2, No 2, 1st mvt, Ludwig van Beethoven, 5m11s, https://youtu.be/zCQVucX5In4
Three Concentric Circles in the Water, 1 Circle, Andrea Granitzio, 4m1s, https://youtu.be/CXvS47NXw2Y
